Till' Death Do Us Part
by rheaxo
Summary: Zayn promises Holly that he'll be back from the war. Can he keep that promise? And if he can't, which Irish friend steps in and heals the broken hearts?


Chapter One- Promises.

_My head rested on his chest as I held back the tears, this could well be the last time I saw his adoring face, those bold eyes a crooked smile. I let my finger trail along his back, feeling the rough, khaki material against it.  
'Private Malik?' A voice disturbed our perfect silence as he joined us by our sides.  
'That's me' Zayn sighed, adding a small smile.  
'I know it's hard, but we really must be going now' the sergeant said, his face faltered, the sadness in his eyes letting us know that if he could he'd leave us standing there all day. _

'_I'll be right over sir' the sergeant nodded and left us alone, for our first goodbye. _

'_I told you I'd do it' _

'_I know' I gulped down the lump that was making itself at home in my throat. _

'_I'll be back, I promise' he leant down slightly and let his lips brush the top of my forehead. _

'_Zayn…' I started, I felt the tear escape from my eye and travel down my cheek. 'Don't make promises you can't keep' I felt his arms clench around me, like he wanted to squeeze all the life out of me and put it in his pocket to take me with him. His hands clamped around my cheeks as he brought his lips onto mine. _

'_Stay safe, remember, whatever happens, you'll always be my hero' I didn't try and stop the tears from breaking free of my eyelids. _

'_I love you baby girl' with one final squeeze I watched as he turned his back on me and joined the other men in matching uniform, getting lost amongst the bodies till I could no longer make him out. _

_I turned away, a sudden loneliness washing over me like rain, as memories attacked my brain from every angle, one in particular, playing on the biggest screen in my head. _

_*Flashback* _

'_I want to be like him' Zayn pointed towards the T.V screen, which flashed a picture of a young solider collecting a medal for his bravery, the caption reading 'As the Hero emerges' The bright eyed, chocolate coloured haired girl sitting beside him gazed up adoringly at him, a huge quantity of admiration pouring from her. _

'_Why?' She asked simply. The boy sitting next to her, Zayn, was a year older than her, older, wiser, cooler, yet still her best friend. _

'_Because I want to be a hero, just like him. I want to make people proud' Zayn beamed. _

'_You're my hero already Zayn' the girl, Holly whispered quietly, Zayn turned to face her, smiling broadly at the eleven year old Holly sitting directly beside him. He leant down gently and left a kiss on the side of Holly's cheek before blushing slightly as Holly let out a small giggle. _

_*End of flashback* _

_I slumped down into the softness of my car seat, pulling the door closed gently. My car, an original Mini Chelsea, was fragile, the red paint on the outside was fading, the heater didn't work, neither did the radio, but it was my car, my special car that I never intended of getting rid of, simply because of the precious memories it held. The image of Zayn and I pulling up at the Blackpool s__eafront, it had taken longer than anticipated due to the care I had to take with my cars engine. I remembered the look Zayn had gave me as he realised what we were about to do was completely stupid. We were going to go into the sea, in the middle of december. It had been an idea we'd had when we were twelve or thirteen, we'd been watching something on the television about the top 100 craziest things to do before you die, one of them was swimming in the sea in the middle of winter, a stupid, but feasible thing to do. Zayn being Zayn, he tried to show off, saying that he could easily do that, so it was agreed. We would do it. One day. It turned out that day would be December, Friday 13th, six years after the crazy idea developed in our brains. Also the day that Zayn and I got together, as more than best friends. His voice rung crystal clear in my head as we stepped out of our clothes and into our swimming costumes, already dying from the cold wind. ___

_'I don't want to do this anymore Zayn' I'd laughed, trying to wrap my arms around my entire body for warmth but failed. His laugh echoed in my ears, I could almost feel his arms snaking around my body and lifting me over his shoulder.___

_'There's no way we're backing out of this one now Holl!' I'd screamed at him to put me down but he didn't. __  
__The icy water had been a huge shock to the both of us, so much so that I'd literally jumped into his arms, squealing as the water nipped at my body. That's the moment that I'd looked up at Zayn while he was holding me in his arms, his 100 cm eye lashes batting at me, it had taken me almost a minute to realize that I had my legs wrapped around his waist and I tried to wriggle free. He wanted me to do no such thing. Zayn had ducked his down closer to mine, so that I could feel his raged breath on my lips before he connected them with his own. __  
__I crashed back down to my sad reality and started up my little car it coughed and spluttered and I smiled, remembering how Zayn had always called it 'the little trooper' because no matter what, it always started first time, despite being countless years old. I didn't know when it was going to sink in that Zayn was gone, and that he might never come back. He'd done what he wanted, since he was eleven he'd wanted to fight for his country, at first I'd never taken him seriously and let it pass, and then when the time came for us to think about what we wanted to do for our future, he got it stuck back in his brain and went to a special army college to hear a talk and since then, it was all he'd wanted to do. __  
__I let my foot off the gas pedal and came to a halt on the driveway. Never in my life had I felt this alone, I'd always had someone with me. I'd always had Zayn._

_Chapter Two:- Deployed. _

_(Zayn P.O.V) _

_I felt the slight thud of the helicopter hit the ground. Reality hit me hard in the face. I was going to war, I could die. _

_'Private Malik?' I heard my name for the second time today, god I had to get used to the whole 'Private' thing. _

_'You're the only solider in a different regiment, you're in Mercian, please follow me' I grabbed my day sack and pack and slung it onto my back. The sheer weight of it was enough to pull you to the ground. I followed the Lieutenant across the hard, dry path towards another group of lads who all looked around the same age as me. _

_'Right then solider, this is your regiment, your regiment will be sorted out into four sections, the others will join you shortly' he shot a quick smile, and then he was gone. _

_'Right soldiers, I'm Sergeant Perks, the list of names I will now read out are Mercian 1A, then Mercian 1B, 1C and 1D. He started to read off the names on his list and I started to match the names to the faces, for future reference. After a long wait, Mercian's 1A-1C had been read out. Meaning that I would be in Mercian 1D. _

_'Private Horan, Corporal Styles, Private Payne, Lieutenant Tomlinson, Private Malik, Corporal Quileki, Private Jones, Private Dobbs and of course me' I scanned the faces of the soldiers that were left standing, trying to work out who each of them were, but they could of been any of the names Sergeant Perks had read out. _

_'Now, if you'd all like to follow me, let's get to our base, we deploy tomorrow morning at dawn' I scooped my bags from the floor and followed the rest of the group. I'd been away from Holly for about eighteen hours, yet it felt like a lifetime. I loved her, and I was scared, I just needed her to hold me and tell me everything would be ok. _

_The truck shook violently as we made our way to base camp, most of the group was chatting, but I had my picture of Holly in my hand, staring at it intently, praying that it would come to life. _

_'Girlfriend?' A voice asked from beside me. I turned to face him, and nodded. He smiled. _

_'She's gorgeous' At home, I'd have taken an instant dislike to this guy, accused him of trying it on with my girlfriend or some crazy shit like that. But this was different, this wasn't home at all. I was in an unknown place, with unknown people and unknown feelings. _

_'I know' I smiled, thinking about how Holly would blush at that comment; she was never one to take compliments. _

_'Tomlinson, Louis Tomlinson' He stuck his hand into mine and shook it, I liked this guy already, he was confident and he had that aura about him. _

_'Zayn Malik' I responded, shaking his hand politely. _

_'This is Corporal Styles' He pointed to the guy sitting directly opposite me, he was the first guy I'd seen with dimples in ages. _

_'Hey, just call me Harry' He, also shook my hand and I figured that if Louis was going to introduce me to all of the guys, I'd be shaking a lot of hands. _

'_That is Private Payne' This guy sat next to Harry. _

_'Liam to everyone else' He winked, his strong, black country accent was warm and easy. _

_'And last but not least, Private Horan, or as we all like to call him Private Ireland' everyone laughed, but me, as I was new and didn't get the joke. _

_'Niall' He flashed his wide grin at me and I instantly understood why they called him 'Private Ireland' He was Irish. _

_'The rest of them, I don't know, but I guess we'll find out in time. Where you from lad?' Louis seemed eager for me to joined in the conversations they were all having. _

_'Bradford' _

_'You're a Yorkshire lad like me then' I raised my eyebrow at him. _

_'Doncaster' _

_'Oh yeah, I can tell now' I smiled 'How about you guys?' I asked, starting to feel more confident. _

_'Cheshire, Holmes Chapel' Harry grinned. _

_'Wolverhampton' Liam. _

_'And Private Ireland over here, where are you from again lad? Mullinjar? Mullinbar?' Louis started to laugh and Niall mocked him, making me laugh too. _

_'Shut it Tommo, Mullingar buddy' _

_These lads were so laid back and easy, it was hard to tell that at sunrise tomorrow morning we were going to be sent out onto the front line. _

_Back at the base we got handed our dog tags, with our names and regiment along with our own solider number. There was no need to unpack, seeing as we would be gone tomorrow morning. There wasn't much else to do, apart from mucking around with the lads. I'd quickly learnt a lot about their personalities. _

_Niall- A hyperactive, fun loving, food addicted guy, with a heart of gold, one that you could possibly find at the end of the rainbow. _

_Harry- Cheeky, very, very cheeky. _

_Louis- the oldest of all of us, yet the most immature. _

_Liam- Serious, but, can let his hair down too. _

_It was currently 3.58am and I was awake. My insomnia had gotten the best of me and disallowed me to sleep, so I pulled a sheet of paper from my pack and a pen and began to write to Holly, it was probably the only chance I'd get for a while. _

_Chapter Three:- Letter One._

_(Holly's P.O.V) _

_Puft. I woke to the sound of the post dropping through the letter box. Even though it had been a week, I still let my hand feel its way to the empty space next to me. I should get used to it, but I couldn't. I could see him lying there, asleep, safe and sound. He was never a morning person, and in the nights before he left, I often wondered how he was going to cope, with the early mornings and sleepless nights and all. It was the little things that worried me most. _

_I slid from the bed, like every morning I threw on a pair of Zayn's jogging bottoms and a t-shirt, it made me feel closer to him, his smell was still embedded on the fibers. _

_I padded down the stairs, feeling my need for caffeine growing stronger by the second, passing the pile of post on the doormat and entering the kitchen. Post had come early today, it was merely 7am. I thought back to the post. Had I seen a letter? My eyes widened and I sprinted back to the door, sorting through the mess of bills and leaflets until I found what I was looking for. A blue envelope indicated it was from overseas, 'airmail' on the front was my address, written in his beautiful handwriting. _

_I held back every urge to rip it open and read the contents inside, I couldn't dare damage anything inside, this letter was all I had at the moment. I carefully slid my finger under the seal and removed the letter from its casing. _

_**My baby girl, **_

_**I miss you so much it's hard to put it into words. Here I am surrounded by at least forty other soldiers, plus the higher ranked platoon commanders and I feel isolated and alone. I need you by my side baby. I miss the smell of your perfume, I admit, I don't know what it's called, but I'd know it if I smelt it. I don't know what day your reading this on, seeing as this has to be flown back over to you and then posted, but I'm writing this the day after we left each other at the airport, we get deployed out onto the front line tomorrow, so we're just at base, its quite late, but I can't sleep. **__**  
**__** I've met some good lads here; they already know everything about you, even down to the tiny fact that you have a birthmark on your bum that looks like the shape of Ireland! It slipped out, I'm sorry baby! But Niall was impressed, seeing as he's Irish. Apart from the fact they all want to see your arse, they're lovely lads!**__**  
**__** I wasn't intent on making friends before I got here, I didn't see the point. Some would be gone before we knew it, but, I couldn't help it, they're bonkers, they need me! **__**  
**__** How's everything at home? I'm asking questions like we're on the phone aren't I? The boys have noticed that I start to talk about you like you're in the room; they're nice enough to just smile and brush over it. **__**  
**__** I didn't want to admit it, but I'm scared Holl. It's suddenly hit me, I'm here, and anything could happen. **__**  
**__** I promised you at the airport that I'd be back, and I will. You know I always keep my promises. **__**  
**__** As much as I hate it, I really have to be going now; you know what I'm like in the mornings! **__**  
**__** I love you so much Holly, please don't ever forget that, you're my best friend, my sister and my girlfriend all in one. Look after yourself at home, I'd do absolutely anything to be with you right now, snuggled up in bed, then you'd go down stairs and make the best breakfast ever. Oh god, now I need your breakfasts... Don't forget that our little trooper has an MOT the end of this month, I put it on the calendar before I left, so don't forget to check. **__**  
**__** I love you baby. You're always on my mind, every second. I'll be back soon; the dream team will be reunited again. **__****_

_** Lots of Love, **__****_

_** Zayn. **_

___**P.S Don't stop wearing my clothes, you look good in them! **_

_A sudden rush of emotions took over my body. From all parts of the letter, in some parts my heart ached, I missed him, I just needed him home safe, and then there's the embarrassing part about his friends knowing about the thing on my ass, another, the casual tone of the whole thing, how he'd reminded me about something that he was never going to see, he was probably now on the front line, and he'd written to me, telling me that the car was due for a MOT at the end of the month._

_I found myself laughing and crying at the same time, I felt like he was in the room with me, his arms were around me as I perched on the floor, clutching the letter within an inch of its non-existent god damn life. _

_I could hear his voice in my ears, the soft whispers he always did before we fell asleep at night._

_I longed to hear his voice again, not just a memory or a remonisance, the real thing. Here with me now. _

_Chapter Four:- Best Friends._

_(Zayn's P.O.V) _

_It's not stopped raining since we got here. I can't remember what dry land looks like, or what dry clothes feel like. I have to keep taking my boots off and pouring out the water. _

_Nothing's happened to us yet, absolutely nothing, we're on patrol, surfing out the area. We find ourselves sitting in muddy ditches, waiting for Sergeant Perks to give us the all clear and we can keep moving. _

_'Aw fuck' _

_'What's up Private Ireland?' Liam laughed, we were again, sitting in the mud, the rain beating down on us. _

_'Sitting in this mud, its gone right through to my boxers!' he started to shuffle on the spot, his face scrunching up in discomfort, we felt sorry for the kid, but we couldn't help but laugh. _

_'Yeah you'll laugh now, but when this cold shit hits your ass you'll know what I mean' the slight cockiness in his voice was evident. Niall stuck his hand in his pocket and produced a picture of a tall blonde girl, her smile was almost infectious, even though it was only a photo. _

_'Girlfriend?' _

_'No, no, this is my sister Lucy, twin sister, she's Harry's girlfriend, as much as I hate to say it. It's not that I dislike the guy, he's a good mate. I just don't think he's the right person for my sister, y'know?' _

_'She's beautiful; you can tell she's your sister, same eyes' _

_'Everyone says that' he laughed but he was smiling like he'd been told he'd won the lottery, the fondness and love in his eyes as he stroked the picture with his thumb was radiating over to me, I couldn't help but smile. _

_'How about Holly, heard anything yet?' He asked, placing the picture back in his pocket so that it didn't get even wetter than it already was. _

_'Not yet, I suppose it's taking its time to get to her, y'know?' _

_'Yeah, she'll probably be fussing over what to write back, it's always hard the first time, you want to write so much, but you don't want to sound like you're about to break down' _

_'Done this before?' _

_'Yep, second year. Louis' third, Liam and Harry's second too, its just you whose on their first year I'm afraid' _

_'It's not what I expected' I admitted. It wasn't. I'd expected it to just happen, all the action all the stuff you see on the T.V, but it was nothing like that, there was a lot of sitting around and waiting, doing nothing until it was time to move onto another place and do more nothing. We'd have the occasional scare, the odd bullet cracking in the distance, nothing major. _

_'It's not what any of us expected mate, we just gotta get used to it' Niall let out a big sigh. _

_'Let's make a pact' he suddenly said. _

_'What sort of pact?' I turned to face him; his face was wet and spotted with mud. _

_'If one of us drops out, the other does too, wherever you go, I go, wherever I go, you go?' _

_'Good pact' I stuck out my hand, and we did a firm shake on it. _

_From that moment on, Niall and I stuck together like glue. I suppose he was what made it seem alright. I was homesick badly, and so was he. So together we made each other feel better, giving each other little pep talks and sharing memories. He'd told me about his best friend, Georgia and how much he loved her, but didn't think she felt the same way back. So I told him about Holly and I, how we used to be best friends and now she was my girlfriend. It sort of lifted a little of the sickness away, knowing that we were all in pretty much the same boat, we all wanted to go back home. _

_At night, I'd lie awake, gazing at the picture of Holly, it was becoming tatty, but it was none the less beautiful. I missed her so much, and I wanted to make her proud, I was her hero. _

_Chapter Five:- Girls Night Out. _

_(Holly P.O.V) _

_I looked at the pristine envelope one more time before slotting it through the slit in the letter box, letting out a long sigh as I did. I was getting lonelier by the second, minute, hour, day. But the letter I'd received had put me on an instant high. I turned away from the letter box and made my way through the busy streets. Dressed in my comfy casuals, __the sort of clothes that Zayn had always loved me wearing. _

_I turned my key in the door and threw my bags down by the side of the kitchen counter and flipped the switch on the kettle. I opened the cupboard, opting to get a mug when something stopped me, a few sheets of paper dropped out in front of me and I picked them up and gazed at what was scribbled on them. _

_PASSWORDS. _

_TWITTER- *********__**  
**__FACEBOOK- **************__****_

_BANK ACCOUNTS. __****_

_PIN- *******__**  
**__SECURITY CODE- **** **** **** _

_I felt the tears stab at my eyes as I realized what it was. As soon as he'd signed his name on the dotted line for the army training course he had to leave all his account details with me, and his parents, another thing he had to do, was write his will and a death letter. He was 25, and he already had a will and a death letter. The kettle clicked and I pushed back the bleak thoughts, pouring the steaming water into my mug and leaning against the counter, I could feel the heat seeping through the porcelain attacking my hands, but I was numb to it. _

_BEEEEEP_

_I shook my head and rummaged through my bag for my phone. _

_1 NEW MESSAGE: _

_-Doniya__****_

_Hey Holly! Haven't spoke 4 a long time:( Me + the girls going out 2night, wanna come? x_

_I smiled; I hadn't seen or spoken to Doniya since Zayn's going away party a few months back. Doniya was Zayn's sister, we were always very close when we were younger, I'd obviously met her through Zayn, and we sort of became a little crack unit, Doniya, Zayn and me. Waliyha and Safaa joined us sometimes, but most of the time it was just us. _

_-To Doniya__****_

_Hey Don! Yeah would love that! Come over now + we can get ready? x_

_It wasn't long before my phone buzzed with the reply._

1 NEW MESSAGE: 

_-Doniya __****_

_Yeah would love that, be round soon! x _

_I smiled happily and laid my phone back on the counter and got out another mug, pouring Doniya a cup of tea. It had been so long since I'd been out. Out alone for that matter. Whenever we went out Zayn would always be there, his harm firmly around my waist, kissing me whenever he had the chance. He was quite a jealous boyfriend, not in the sense that if I talked to another guy he would be mad about me cheating, he didn't have a problem with that, he just liked everyone to know that I was his girlfriend. This, I had no problem with. _

_I heard the doorbell ring, knocking me from my thoughts as I rushed over to answer it. _

_'Doniya!' I shouted practically jumping in her arms as I flung open the door. _

_'Holly!' _

_'I've missed you!' I sighed into her shoulder as I shut the door behind her. _

_'Me too Holl! We have some catching up to do!' I ushered her through to the kitchen and handed her, her mug of tea, we sat and talked for ages about everything. _

_'Do you remember Rebecca?' _

_'Zayn's ex?' I raised my eyebrow, no one had spoken about her in ages, she was Zayn's first real girlfriend and, second behind me in time together. _

_'Yeah, she's coming, but before you decide you don't wanna come, she's got a boyfriend, so it's ok' _

_'God, I haven't seen her in such a long time!' _

_'She sort of invited herself, but never mind, let's get this party started!' We hit the play button on my docking speakers and let the music surge through the house while we did our hair, make-up and got into our outfits. After an hour we were finally ready._

_We met up with the other girls outside of the club Insomnia just on the edge of town, we all became quite emotional as we hadn't seen each other for such a long time! _

_But once we were inside, I let my troubles go for one night and enjoyed it. _

_Chapter Six:- Surprises._

_(Zayn's P.O.V) _

_'Oii, Malik come on we're on postal run' The familiar Irish accent filled my ears, he gently shook me and I rose from my bunk, swinging my legs over the side and rubbing at my aching eyes. I glanced around the room, taking in what everyone was doing. Something I did every morning. Louis and Harry were in the corner, trying to look manly by doing press ups. And Liam was sat in the corner, clutching the same piece of paper he'd been clutching for the past three days. _

_His girlfriend had decided it would be best if they'd ended things because of the distance, it had crushed Liam, but he still read the same line over and over and over again. _

_**'It's over' **_

_We'd all tried to comfort him, in any way possible, but nothing seemed to work. _

_'Come on man, today might be the day!' Niall said, beckoning me to follow him. I slid on my t-shirt and slid from my bunk and continuing towards Niall, passing Liam on my way. _

_'You alright man?' I gave him a sympathetic smile and he just looked at me, his face filled with no emotion. _

_'Guess I gotta be haven't I?' I gave him a small nod before getting back en-route to Niall. _

_We took the five minute walk to the drop off point. We'd been back at base for a few weeks, before being deployed again next week. Every two days or so someone would go for the postal run, and I'd wait for them to come over to me, with a letter, but every day I didn't get a thing. _

_The helicopter dropped down the bag and I looked at it for a moment, nervously before diving into it. _

_No. _

_No. _

_No. _

_No. _

_Nothing. _

_I screamed and threw them onto the floor in anger. Why couldn't she just reply to me? _

_'You'll get one soon mate, I promise' Niall said as I dropped to the floor, the pure pain of missing the one person you truly love, crippling me. I looked at him and I noticed him feel the pain through my eyes. _

_'Come on man, let's get back' The soft Irish accent comforted me a little, but nothing could get me over this, the only thing that could, would be the letter itself. _

_I pulled myself to my feet as Niall put a comforting arm around my shoulder and we sauntered back to base. Watching all of the other lads' faces as they received their letters, and then the tears of joy as they ripped them open and read the contents, I just couldn't take it. I slumped down on my bunk and stared at the ceiling, throwing an old, battered tennis ball off of it and then catching it again. I repeated this for at least a good solid, two hours. _

_I heard the door of our barrack knock twice; I was too depressed to even turn my head to see who it was. But the deep, northern voice told me it was Major Price. _

_'ZAAAAAYN GET UP MAN ITS COME' The words filled my ears and I jumped from my bunk to see what Niall was shouting me for. He was running towards me with a cardboard box in his hand, his facial expression was one of pure joy. _

_'It's from Holly Zayn, its come!' He repeated, setting the, rather heavy box down on my lap. The grin spread across my face like wildfire. I fished my army knife from my pocket and lifted up the blade, slicing through the brown tape enclosing the box. I quickly looked inside at the contents, I could see beer, chocolate, sweets. And a letter. Along with a note that was set on top of everything. _

_**'To my hero, **__**  
**__** I'm so sorry this has taken so long to come. I originally wrote you the letter and then posted it, but I decided that, that just wasn't enough. So I cancelled the letter regrouped my thoughts and put this together. I didn't know how many lads there are in your platoon, so I just sent over the whole crate of beers, there should be enough. I also sent plenty of chocolate and sweets, so that everyone can have some, but I have also put you all your favorites! **__**  
**__** And also, seeing as they all know about that little thing on my butt... And your friend Niall is Irish; I took the liberty to send him the little cuddly toy! **__**  
**__** There's also the letter that I wrote enclosed. I miss you so much. I just want you home safe with me. The whole family misses you so, so much. Safaa keeps asking when you're coming home and your mom keeps bursting into tears every time she does. But we're trying to stay strong. Because we love you and this is what you wanted. **__**  
**__** Please stay safe baby. And as odd as it sounds, don't go doing anything stupid. And that goes for any of you. ALL of you need to come home safe and sound. I hope you enjoy all of this, and stay strong. I love you so much. You really are my hero. **__**  
**__** All my love, Holly. x**_

_I brushed the tears from my eyes. I had waited so long just to read her handwriting, read her words. _

_'I told you it would come' Niall said, his tone was one of a young boy who'd found pride in his 'I told you so' I hadn't realized he'd been there the whole time, watching me read. _

_I looked up at his beaming face, he was just as happy as I was. I set the note down by the side of me and looked deeper into the box, finding the little toy that Holly had said about in her note. _

_'Hey Niall, Holl' sent you this!' I said laughing, pulling it from the box and passing it to him. His eyes lit up with joy and happiness. _

_'Aw man, she's amazing! Yeah buddy I love her already!' he toyed with the fur of the small, green Leprechaun teddy. I chuckled and delved deeper into the box. Seeing at least twenty beers and the same amount of packets of sweets and chocolate. What I came across next was a picture of Holly and the rest of my family, all smiling happily. I turned it over and found a sentence scribbled in my mother's handwriting. It said__'The Malik family will never be broken'____I felt the side of my bunk dip as Niall sat next to me, glancing at the photo. _

_'You have a beautiful family' He smiled, showing his perfect smile. _

_'Yeah, I do' I smiled proudly. Setting the photo on the side of my small table. Then grabbing the box and hooking it under my right arm and sliding from my bed. _

_'Alright boys you got lucky, my girl sent us a beer each!' I shouted and started to pass them out, earning cheers and thank yous from everyone. After I'd handed them out I was left with a few, so Niall and I sat against the wall drinking and eating the sweets. I'd handed those out too, but saved my favorites for Niall and I. _

_'Niall?' _

_'Yeah buddy?' We turned to face each other, the silence had been broken, but there never really was a silence. You could always hear the whirring of Niall's brain whenever he was around. Well, I could. _

_'Will you be my best man?' I asked. There was no one else I'd rather have as my best man, out of all of the people I'd known over my life, Niall was the one person, aside from Holly and my family, that I trusted completely with my life. _

_'You gonna ask Holly to marry you?' A smile spread across his face. _

_'Yeah, I've wanted to for a while, but I didn't know when the right time was. But when I get back, I know it will be' _

_'Well in that case, of course' I smiled at him thankfully. 'Here's to the future' he held his beer up to mine and made a toast. _

_'Together' I added. I was looking forward to the future, with my girlfriend, and best friend. Niall Horan. _

_Chapter Seven:- A Rush Of Blood To The Head. _

_(Zayn's P.O.V) _

_I pulled on my boot, today we were being deployed again. Apparently to the hotspot of the war, so we could experience the action we had not experienced. Since the letter and the package from Holly I'd been in the best mood anyone could imagine, but the sick feeling had now settled in my stomach. I'd promised Holly that I'd be back, but what if I wasn't? What if something did happen? _

_No. _

_Don't think about it. _

_'Hey mate, you ready for this?' Niall asked, grabbing his pack and slinging it over his shoulder, grunting at the pressure it left on his shoulders. _

_'More than ever' I sighed and did the same, following him out towards the others. _

_'Alright platoon. Now, as you know, this group hasn't seen much action yet, but I promise you will in the next couple of days. Just don't do anything stupid ok? That will be all, everyone in the helicopter' Major Price followed Sergeant Perks on board the helicopter._

_Niall and I sat in the corner, conversing about how I was going to propose to Holly. We had decided on Blackpool. The place where she and I first kissed, the place where through some silly idea we'd had when we were younger we became one. _

_The helicopter got lower and lower and the feelings in my stomach got higher and higher. I wanted to be sick. I needed to go home; I wanted to be with Holly, I regretted ever wanting to do this. But there was no turning back. _

_The door opened and we were told to jump out quickly, as we were being sent onto the front line this very minute. We had our fire arms with us and our packs on our back, we were all set. For a while we walked through the small villages, our translator talking to civilians, asking them about the place and anything strange that had happened in recent weeks, months or days. _

_As we entered one village a local with a terrified expression on his face, shouting something in another language over and over again. This wasn't the language our translator knew. _

'_Does anyone know what he's saying?' Major Price shouted behind, no one did. He kept repeating whatever he was saying over and over again, like his, or our lives depended on it. At this point I started to become really panicked, and so did the rest of us. _

_That's when we heard it. _

_The gunshots._

_The first thing you think of when you hear it is, how close is it? And to tell, is listen. A far away gunshot cracks and pops. A close one whizzes. These were whizzing past us, ever so ironically 'like a bullet from a gun' The second thing you think is, I'm going to die. _

_Before I had time to do anything I felt something graze my cheek, and when I say graze I mean severely graze, I instantly knew what it was and my hand flew to my face. I could feel the blood pouring from the wound. I'd narrowly missed being shot in the face. I then felt the pain, at first it was a burning, an intense burning like you'd stuck your face in a fire but then the burning died down and it was more like someone had started to run salt in it. Excruciating. _

_I then felt the same pain graze my arm. I was in the firing line; no one around me was getting hit. I let out a loud cry of pain, alerting the rest of the group that I was hit. _

_The first thing I thought was, you've just got here and you're already down, great work. _

_The second thing I thought was, this may be your chance of getting out of here, maybe for just a short while. _

_I tried to regain my focus as I heard someone rushing to my side, I knew I hadn't been shot, just injured badly. _

'_It's ok Private Malik, everything will be ok, we're getting you to the nearest hospital' I heard a voice say, I was lifted onto a stretcher, the pain in my arm and cheek ever increasing. _

_So this was what it was like to be shot? _

_I lay on the bed, my arm in sling. A huge plaster on the side of my cheek. Niall had came to see my once, but had to back as they were still on the front line. I missed him. _

'_Private Malik?' I heard a voice call from the end of the small hospital and I sat up. _

'_Over here' I called back. The man looked my way and then started over to me. _

'_Good news lad, you're going home for a few days' He smiled, handing me a sheet of paper. _

'_I am?' _

'_Yes sir, have fun' He smiled and then left me. I opened up the sheet of paper with my instructions. _

_This was it. I was going home for five days. I was going home. I was going to Holly. _

_Chapter Eight:- Can I Kiss You Hard In The Pouring Rain?_

_No one knew I was coming home, it would be a surprise. The first person I was going to see was Holly, I couldn't believe I was in the same country, I was so close. I wanted to touch her, hold her in my arms, and kiss every part of her. _

_My heart was palpitating as I came up to the front door of our house, before knocking I felt the side of my cheek, wondering how she'd react. Or overreact. _

_I knocked three times. By this time my heart was in my mouth, she was behind the door. It swung open. _

_'Zayn' she breathed. I couldn't tell whether she was going to cry or not, so I did the only thing I wanted to do. I pulled her into me, her warm body pressed against me; I could feel her heart against my chest. _

_'I've missed you so much' she said, squeezing me. I hitched my hands underneath her thighs and wrapped her legs around my waist, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it. I pressed my lips against hers. I'd missed her touch, her smell, her everything. I slid down the door, not pulling away from the kiss. I moved my hands up to her face, cupping her cheeks with my hands, eager to touch every part of her, just to make sure this wasn't all some surreal dream. _

_She pulled away, breathing heavily. Her eyes immediately shooting towards my wounded cheek. _

_'What are you doing here, what happened?' her questions shot at me just like the bullets did. _

_'I got too caught up in the moment, I was standing in the path. But I got nothing serious' I said, running my hands through her soft hair. _

_'I told you not to do anything stupid' she laughed, resting her hands on my chest, her legs still around me. _

_'My platoon commander said the very same thing when I was in hospital' Holly started to run her fingers up and down my, when she reached the stitching, she stopped and frowned. _

_'How long are you here for?' she did this cute, half smile that I always loved. _

_'Five days' I said. After those five days I would be going back for at least four years without coming back. I needed to tell her, but I didn't know how. _

_'And then you're going again. How long?' She was reading my mind; I had to tell her otherwise I wouldn't get another chance. I sighed deeply and mustered up all my inner strength. Waiting for the words to seep from my mouth. _

_'Four...' I started but the words clung to the sides of my throat, a glimmer of hope ran through Holly's eyes. _

_'Months?' I shook my head sadly and the happiness drained away from her face, turning her skin pale and washed. She pursed her lips into a thin, tight smile and then rose from my lap, heading into the kitchen in silence. I dipped my head in my hands. I felt like I was losing her. This wasn't the way I'd pictured coming home, I pictured us holding each other endlessly, talking until we had no more words left to say. _

_'Step by step, heart to heart, left right left, we all fall down. Like toy soldiers. Bit by bit, torn apart, never forget that the battle rages on, for toy soldiers' _

_I got up from my position on the floor and followed in her footsteps. She sat at the kitchen bar, her elbows resting on the table, head in hands. _

_'I want to stay Holl'' I said, leaning in the doorframe, hands in my pockets. I was watching the girl I love break down in front of my very eyes. It made me think back to the time when I was sitting in a muddy ditch with Niall, he was telling me about how just writing a letter can break you, it made me realize just what coming back was doing to Holly. I suddenly felt guilty, I was here again, she was going to get used to me being around again. And then I'd leave, for four years, without returning. I suddenly had no words to say, anything I thought of sounded stupid and idiotic to say at a time like this. Holly stayed silent. I bit on my lip to stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks; I backed away from the doorway and headed for the stairs. A shower. Something, anything to let me cry without anyone knowing. Where the streaks of tears would be presumed as water droplets, and the sound of the water thudding off of the tiles would drown out my angry sobs. _

_I got into the bathroom and discarded my clothes. Stepping into the shower and turning on the water. I relished the feeling of hot water attacking my bare skin, a sensation I hadn't felt for a while, and wouldn't feel for a long time to come. The pain in my chest was growing with every second. I let the salty tears escape the ducts of my eyes and mix with the clean water of the shower on my face, I let the loud, painful cries erupt from my voice box, I let my fist clench and start to pound against the white, tiled walls. I let every ounce of emotion rush from me; I was pounding the walls so hard my knuckles just couldn't take any more of it and they split, turning the water around me a rose pink colour. I felt no pain. I was numb. All I wanted was to hold Holly in my arms for eternity, just laying somewhere, our arms around each other. The sun or the stars watching us. Our only other form of company, no distractions, just us. But that was far from my reality. _

_'I lay down, on the, cold ground and I, I pray that something picks me up, and, sets me down in your, warm arms' _

_I watched as the daylight turned to night out of the window, losing all track of time I stepped from the shower and dried off, my hands were the resemblance of that wrinkly fruit?... Prunes. _

_I walked into our bedroom, the white fluffy towel wrapped around my waist, instantly making me think about the time back at camp when someone stole Harry's towel, and he had to come out of the shower cubical naked, something in which he didn't seem to mind. _

_I went over to my draws and pulled out a t-shirt and sweatpants, I brought them to my nose, taking in the scent. Holly had been wearing them, as I could still smell the perfume. I had no idea what it was called, but I'd know it if I smelt it. I got a clean pair of boxers and pulled them on, my sweats and t-shirt shortly following. I then drew my attention to my rather profusely bleeding knuckles. I picked up the towel from the floor and wrapped it around, letting the pristine whiteness soak up the crimson red. Waiting for it to stop bleeding, and then throwing it into the washing basket and proceeding down the stairs. _

_I reached the bottom and a chilly gust hit my bare forearms. My brow creased with confusion and I stepped into the kitchen. The backdoor was open, letting in the cool, night wind into the house. I checked in all the rooms of the house before going outside to see Holly sitting in the garden, knees pulled into her chest and her head resting on them. _

_'Babe, what you' doing sitting out here in the cold?' I took a seat next to her on the grass, I looked up at the dull, blank, boring sky. It was grey, no moon, no stars. Empty. _

_'I don't think I can do it Zayn' Her voice was full of pain, but it sounded wet with tears. _

_'Do what?' _

_'Say goodbye again, you left me once, I don't want you to leave me again' She leant her head down to rest it on my shoulder and I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her even closer to me. _

_'I'm always going to be with you babe. Maybe not in the person, but in your heart, in your head' I said, feeling a droplet of rain hit me, followed by more until I felt like I was in the shower again. _

_I moved my hands to clamp around her cheeks and bring her face close to mine so that our foreheads were touching, the rain sticking them together like glue. _

_'Near, far, wherever you are. I believe that the heart, does go on. Once more, you open the door. And you're here in my heart. And my heart will go on. Love can touch us one time, and last for a lifetime. And never let go till' we're gone.__**You're here, there's nothing I fear. And I know that my heart will go on. We'll stay, forever this way. You are safe in my heart, and my heart will go on...' **_

_'You'll never lose me. You're the only person I love Holly, your my everything. I would lie in my bunk, thinking of you, dreaming of being with you. I wanted you close to me, so that I could hold you and never let go, I love you more than words could ever explain. And after these four years are over, I'm pulling out of the army, so I can be with you every day, so I can touch your face, look into your eyes and tell you just how much you really mean to me. I could never express it in words, please just let me hold you'_

_The tears fell from our eyes. I let everything wash out of me along with the rain. Everything I'd felt in the shower, sweetened._

_Her lips inched closer to mine, so that the soft skin was brushing against mine. I bit onto her bottom lip softly, taking her incredible mouth into mine. Letting my tongue brush her bottom lip and ask for entrance._

_Our mouthes worked together in sync as the rain fell down around us, washing over our connected faces like a waterfall._

_I believe that some moments were made for certain people, to experience at a certain time in a certain place. I believe that the world is made for two. You, and your soulmate. Whoever it may be, that one special person that can make you feel like the whole world is turning just for you. Like all the flowers open just for you, like the animals wake up every morning just to see you, the birds just to sing to you. Like your the only person that matters. You can feel that the heartbeat of the world is in sync with your own and when your hand is entwined with that one person. It stops beating as two, and continues beating as one._

_And that, is called. A moment of impact. _

_Chapter Nine:- For One Night Only_

_Zayn P.O.V_

_I stared into her emerald eyes, the longing in my stomach increasing every time she blinked. I brought my thumb across her cheek bone and she brought her eyes down to it, watching me trace delicately against her soft wet skin. _

_'It's so nice just to be able to touch you' I whispered softly, almost smiling to myself. A cheeky smile tugged at the side of her lips. _

_'Oh my god no, I didn't -' she stopped me, leaning right into my face, her lips just centimeters from mine. _

_'I know you didn't, but lets just pretend you did' she started to kiss the soft spot on my neck, pushing me down onto the cold, wet grass and climbing on top of me, her thighs on either side of mine. Her hands travelled my body, searching underneath my top that was clinging to me due to the rain. I suddenly felt myself harden underneath her, my boxers and trousers becoming a little tighter. Holly must have felt it to, as I felt her smirk on my neck, and she started to bite gently. I traced the pads of my fingers down her legs and up her back. She moved away from my neck, a red mark left behind, and started to kiss down my torso. My breath hitched in my throat as she got lower and lower, reaching the waist band of my sweatpants. She looked up smiling cheekily and winked at me, before getting up and walking towards the backdoor, swinging her hips more than she usually would. She was such a tease. _

_'Hollllllyy' I moaned, she stood in the doorway. It was too dark for me to see but I knew she'd have a smirk on her face. _

_'Zaaayyynn' she mimicked, dissapearing from the door way. I groaned and pulled myself from the floor, I wanted to finish what we started. _

_I snuck up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and swinging her around. She squeeled in shock, slapping my arms and telling me to put her down. _

_I lifted her above my shoulder, causing her to slap my back in protest as I carried her up the stairs. I opened up the door to our bedroom and thought back to the last feelings I'd had in here, I'd been upset, and now, I'd completely changed. _

_I placed her down on the bed, observing her perfect body before bringing my lips to her neck. I placed my legs either side of hers as she pulled my top from my body. _

_'I love you so much' She said into my ear. I pulled at her top and discarded it onto the floor where a pile of clothes was now growing. I left a trail of wet kisses down her stomach as her hands played with my hair. I reached her jeans and began to undo them, before sliding them down her legs and adding them to the pile. I kissed in between her thighs, and back up to her lips. _

_'There's something about the way, you look tonight' _

_Chapter Ten:- As Time Goes By_

_(2 Years Later) _

_Zayn P.O.V_

_'Niall seriously, have you eaten enough food?' I laughed as we were sat in the barracks eating area; the chef had made us special food because tomorrow we were back on the front line. Niall had eaten about three plates of food, causing the rest of us to laugh, how could such a small guy eat so much food? But we couldn't blame him, it would be the only decent food he was going to be eating for while as we were going to be deployed onto the front line again. _

'_Yeah buddy!' he laughed, pushing the empty plate into the middle of the table. _

'_You guys ready for tomorrow?' I was about to reply to Louis when we were interrupted by Major Price. _

'_Styles, pack up. You're going home' he said, thrusting a sheet of paper in Harry's face. _

'_What? Why?' He asked looking around at the rest of us for some answer to his question, like we had a clue. _

'_Because lad, you've been here the longest without leave. Now don't argue with me, the helicopter will be here in an hour to pick you and some other soldiers up, don't be stupid and miss it, because we'll just send another one. Got it?' Harry went to protest, but the words got trapped in his throat by the angry glare Major Price was giving him. _

'_Yes sir' _

'_Good, now the rest of you, make sure you're all set for tomorrow. We've had word from Mercian 1A that things are pretty heated at the moment, we need to be ready to give it all we've got' we nodded and got up to stand to attention. _

'_As you were men' he saluted us before returning to wherever he had come from before. _

'_Guess I won't be with you tomorrow then guys' Harry shrugged, for some reason, his expression was sad. They say that, men and women in the army can sometimes become attached to familiar surroundings, and being away for so long can sometimes adjust your mentality. For instance, this would now be Harry's fourth year in the army, without going home; he was used to the everyday life of a soldier, no outside communication with anyone else but the guys in our regiment. They sometimes call it shellshock. The shock of war becomes too much, and going home just makes you have nightmares and flashbacks, and the only real time to get away from that is being in the place that started it. All I wanted to do was go home, be with Holly, but I still had two more years before I could pull out. It turned out that Niall, also wanted no more of an army life, and he too decided that once this tour was over and our contracts were up for renewal, he was pulling out too. _

'_How much did you wish that to be you?' Niall whispered into my ear as we watched Harry sulk off back to barracks to pack his stuff. _

'_Quite a lot. Wait, I have an idea' I suddenly said, getting up out of my chair so quickly that it made a horrible screeching noise against the tiled floor. _

'_Where are you going?' He shouted after me as I followed in Harry's footsteps. _

'_I'll tell you after Ni' I promise!' I replied back, jogging to catch up with Harry. _

_When I did I found him packing, shoving things furiously into his pack. My idea was to ask Harry to check up on Holly while he was home, just to make sure everything was ok. _

'_Hey Harry' I said casually. _

'_Oh hey Zayn, fancy taking my place?' he laughed easily, knowing how much we both wished that was true, but completely impossible. _

'_I would love to mate' I passed him a few of his things. _

'_Bet you miss her huh?' he gave me a sympathetic smile as I thought back to the two years ago when I was returning after being on leave, how much of a mess I was. _

'_A lot. Actually, there's a favor I need to ask of you…' His face curled up into a small smile. _

'_Anything Zayn, what can I help you with?' he showed off his dimples, making me wonder how someone like him could be in the army, he looked too soft. _

'_Well I was wondering that when you go back, could you check on Holl' for me?' Harry nodded and placed his hand on my shoulder. _

'_Of course Zayn, just give me the address and I'll make sure everything's ok for you' _

'_Thanks man, it means a lot' _

'_Any time' He said. I helped him with the rest of his packing as well as giving him the address to Holly and I's house. I watched him aboard the helicopter, along with a few others of the guys in our regiment. I then went back to base to find the rest of the guys, all except Niall, sitting together talking. Niall on the other hand was sitting against the wall, fiddling with the very warn out stuffed toy that Holly gave him a few years ago. _

'_Hey mate, you not joining the others?' I asked, sitting next to him. _

'_Nah, they're all talking about their girlfriends, and you know here's little old me, all single' he laughed it off like he didn't care but I knew that he did. _

'_You'll find someone someday, probably when you least expect it, under the best, or worst circumstances. That's when you find true love' I said to him, watching his face soften. _

'_Why did you leave so quickly earlier?' Niall asked, remembering that I said I'd tell him after, now was after. _

'_Oh, I asked Harry if he'd check up on Holly for me, just see if she's ok and that' I said. _

'_She'll be fine. If she's anything like you, she's a trooper' He smiled at me. He always knew the right things to say. _

_Chapter Eleven:- Forever Is Over_

_**Harry P.O.V **_

_I slung my bag over my shoulder, my heart pounding through chest. I regretted what had happened, and all I wanted to do was come clean about the whole situation, but I knew if I did that, well. I wouldn't even be here to see what happened to me. _

_I stood before the camp barracks, running my hand through my curls loosely and taking a deep breath before making my way in. _

_'Whey Styles' is back!' Louis shouted at me excitedly, beckoning me over to him. I let my eyes scan the room, Niall, Liam and the others were in the far corner, playing cards. And Zayn was not far from Louis, although he was sleeping, his eyes clamped shut. I rush of guilt ran through me. _

_No Harry, forget about it. _

_No one but Louis needs to know. _

_'How was home?' He asked as I sat beside him. I bit my lip nervously before answering him. _

_'Er yeah it was good. You know I don't like going home though, so, I'm happy to be back' I swallowed down the settled moisture in my throat before turning to look at Zayn's innocent face again, just turtering myself even more. _

_'You might want to wake him up, you know, so you can tell him how Holly is' Louis smiled. I clamped my eyes shut. Not wanting that subject brought up, I'd done a terrible thing. _

_'Um, yeah. About that. I'm actually going to say I didn't go...' I whispered slightly, making sure Zayn couldn't hear me, even though everyone knew he was a heavy sleeper. _

_'But you did go, right?' He asked, a confused expression fixated on his face. I once again scraped my hands through my curls, pulling them away from my face as I started to break out into a nervous sweat. _

_'Yeah, but. God Lou I've messed up' I let out a small groan. _

_'Why Harry, what have you done?...' he asked worriedly, as if he could already tell. _

_**'I slept with her Lou'**____His mouth dropped open in shock, I turned my attention back to Zayn who hadn't flinched, informing me he hadn't heard me. Thank god. I couldn't believe what I'd done. We had both regretted it, the panic on our faces after we realised. It hadn't meant to happen, she was lonely, I was lonely. I don't even remember half of it. _

_'YOU WHAT?' He exclaimed loudly, I slapped my hand over his mouth to shut him up. _

_'Louis man shut up, Zayn can't find out about this okay? Not just for the sake of their relationship but for mine and Zayn's friendship' _

_**Zayn's P.O.V**_

_I had my eyes closed, but to hell was I asleep. I'd heard every single word Harry had said since he got back, and it was taking every single ounce of strength and whatever else I had in my body to stop me from pouncing on him and beating him within an inch of his stupid life. I'd heard Harry trying to shut Louis up, telling him that I couldn't know, in order to save Holly and I's relationship and also Harry and I's friendship. First off, I was no longer friends with Harry, and I never would be. He had crossed the line, and then some. And as for my relationship with Holly, what even was it anymore? She slept with my 'friend' how could I even trust her anymore. I was disturbed by Harry and Louis' voices. _

_'So, is she good?' Louis said, suddenly changing the tone of anger in his voice into something of amusement. What. The. Fuck? _

_'Louis, do you really think that's appropriate?' Harry hissed, I felt his eyes on me once more. _

_'Just a simple question. You shagged her, so all I want to know is, is she good?' After a few seconds someone let out a soft chuckle, I guessed it to be Harry as he spoke straight after. _

_'Yeah, she's amazing' I couldn't contain everything that was inside me. They were talking about Holly, MY girlfriend like she was some prostitute. My eyes snapped open, Harry was looking straight at me, the sudden realisation that I had heard everything. I could feel every single emotion in my body boiling into my fists. I launched myself at Harry, pinning him to the floor as I repeatedly hit him over and over again in the face. _

_'You fucking cunt, did you really think you could fuck my girlfriend and get away with it?' I shouted, not letting my punches ease up, they kept hitting the side of his face with brute force, causing his head to collide with the floor every single time. _

_'Zayn, I'm sorry, It wasn't meant to happen' he said in between blows, but his words meant nothing to me, the only thing I cared about was causing him as much pain that he'd caused me, and that was endless. I felt a firm pair of hands grip onto my shoulders, pulling me from Harry as I shouted and hurled abuse at him. _

_'Zayn for gods sake what is the matter with you?' Niall said loudly, as he gripped my arms and held me back as the others tushed to Harry's side, pulling him from the ground. _

_'What's the matter with me? He slept with Holly' I shouted so angrily it could have torn the walls from the foundations. Niall's grip loosened on me, Holly hadn't just cheated on me, but Harry had also cheated on Lucy, Niall's twin sister. _

_'You fucking piece of scum' Niall went to lurch at Harry, but Liam had grabbed hold of him, which set me free. So I got right back in Harry's blood covered face. _

_'If you ever come near me or my family again, I will make sure that you breath through a fucking tube' I turned on my heel and started to walk away. _

_'What family Zayn? She's not very good family if she throws herself at any guy that walks through the door' I could hear the smirk in his voice. My head was telling me to turn around and put the guy six feet under the floor, but my heart was telling me to get out now, before you end up hearting yourself even more. _

_I lay on my bunk staring off beyond the ceiling. It felt like there was a T.V placed over my eyes, whether they were open or closed and it just played the same old broken film. Harry was touching Holly in ways that only I should. She was my fucking girlfriend, no one elses. It sickened me to think that I wasn't the last person to touch Holly's toned skin, kiss her soft, plump limps. I couldn't get over the fact that I wasn't the last person to make her scream. _

_I made my way outside, taking a ciggarete with me, lighting it with a match. I sat against the barracks wall, staring at the lit, rolled up tobacco, the orange glow coming from the centre. Without thinking I brought it down onto my wrist, letting the hot ash burn away at my skin. I felt a slight bit of pain, but I was numb to everything else. Just like the time I went home, and I had felt no pain in the shower. _

_I continued to drag the hot ash across my skin, leaving a trail of hot, red marks. I dropped it to the floor, feeling the pulse of my blood in my veins. I then pulled out my army knife and flipped up the blade, letting it glint in the sun before I brought it down to my already throbbing arm. I scrapped away at the skin, watching and waiting for the blood to surface, and when it did. It was welcome. I carried on doing this until my arm was drenched with blood and was throbbing profusely, but the pain still trapped inside of me somewhere else. Thats when I heard the concerned, Irish accent from in front of me. _

_'Zayn man...' I blinked hard, my attention fully on what I had done. My blood glistened against the sun, my knife was no longer clean and silver, but crimson red. _

_'What have I done Niall?' I whispered, crashing to the floor in a heap. I started to cry. Not just cry or sob, I bawled. Holly was my forever, and forever was over. _

_Chapter Twelve:- The Imperfect Tense. _

_Zayn's P.O.V _

_After my breakdown last night Niall had convinced me to move away from the floor outside and into the first aid barrack. At first I hadn't wanted to go, purely because I didn't want anyone to know what I'd done to myself, and I couldn't exactly blame it on anyone else, as that would get them into trouble and possibly kicked out of the army. And that would ruin someones life, all because I was heavily depressed. But, my best friend Niall took it upon himself to get the equiptment and sort me out, himself. _

_'You feeling any better this morning mate?' He asked, perching on the end of my bunk. I looked at my wrists, a thick white bandage covering all the way up my arms. Beyond all of the fabric was a trail of pain, devestation and depression. I built up all the courage inside of me to take it off, and survery the damage I had inflicted on myself. I slowly peeled the bandage away, revealing the deep cuts on my wrist along side the blisters from the cigarette burns. I cringed at the thought of what I'd done to myself, but the anger flooded those feelings as I remembered why I had done this to myself. _

_'They should heal in a few weeks, and you can keep your sleeves rolled down so no one sees them' Niall stated. I looked up at him and smiled, he was trying his hardest to be strong for me, to make sure that I didn't go completely off the rails, I realised that if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have stopped putting that blade to my arm and ended up killing myself, he'd saved my life. _

_'Thanks for everything Niall' I said, my voice hoarse and croaky from all the shouting, screaming, crying. _

_'You don't need to thank me, I wasn't going to let you hurt yourself over something you had no control over' he lightly smiled. _

_'I would have had control over it if I'd just proposed to Holly that time I was home...' I trailed off, thinking about how this was actually all my fault. _

_'No man, you don't know that. Even if she was engaged to you, it still might have happened' I shook my head in protest to what he was saying. Before any more could be said, the rest of the regiment came running in grabbing their gear. _

_'We're needed on the front line guys, hurry!' Liam said to Niall and I, he looked to my exposed wrist, then flashing me a concerned look. I sighed and did the bandage back up and rolled the sleeves of my shirt down. I grabbed my stuff and followed the rest out, only to be stopped by Harry. _

_'Zayn, look I'm really sorry about what-' _

_'I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses Harry, if you were really sorry, you wouldn't have been so careless about talking about it, or, in fact. You wouldn't have even done it, so just get out of my way and stay there' I said angrily, pushing my way past him to join the others. _

_'You got your rules and your religion all designed to keep you safe, but when rules start getting broken you start questioning your faith' _

_**...**_

_**4 Weeks later. Frontline. **_

_Even after four weeks I hadn't heard anything from Holly, no letter, nothing. I was really starting to think it was over, even though I wished nothing more than to just go home and sort the whole thing out, then hold her in my arms. I still loved her with every inch of my body, with every beat of my heart, every pulse of blood, every second that a breath escaped my lips. _

_We were patrolling again, since the last time we left base camp we hadn't returned, due to the fact that everything had kicked off and all the Mercians were needed. It was still raining, everyone's boots were wrecked, letting the water seep through. Ensuring that everyone's feet were constantly sore and wet. Unlike Niall and I who had devised a plan, as we were the same sized shoe we swapped, making our feet acustomed to the different variants of dampness, meaning no sore or wet feet on our part. _

_A loud popping sound invaded my ears, everyone ducked out of instinct, this was where the conflict would begin, the popping would turn into whizzing and we'd be up against the enemy. _

_My job was to pick them off, meaning I had to kill them, without them knowing where I was. For this, I used an L115A Long Range Rifle, it fires an 8.59mm bullet, heavier than the 7.62mm round of the L96, less likely to be deflected over long ranges, which was extremely handy due to the fact that deflected bullets burn the shit out of you when they touch your skin. _

_I sat behind the ditch, my Rifle hitched over the side, a suppresser attached to quieten the noise of the gunfire. Grenades were going off around me, the dirt flying in the air, and then it all stopped. The firing ceased, the grenades stopped exlpoding and everything fell silent. The next thing I heard was someone shouting: _

_'They've got Harry!' You know what the first thing that rushed through my head was? 'He deserves it' But that quickly faded as I thought about the things I'd seen and heard while I'd been here, once captured, you were called a prisoner of war, the prisoners would be tortured into telling the enemy vital infomation about our whereabouts, strategics and weaponary. No matter how much emotional pain Harry had inflicted on me, nothing was worth the physical and emotional pain he woul have to suffer in the hands of the enemy. _

_I got up from my place and joined the panicking group, to hell even Major Price was panicking. _

_'Someone's got to go back for him' Louis said, even though that didn't mean he was putting himself forward to do it. Everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to put themselves forward. No one did. I couldn't believe what I did next. _

_'I'll go' I snatched an AK47 machine gun from Louis' hand and chucked my rifle to the floor. _

_'Zayn, what are you demented?' Niall said, a look of confusion flooding his face. _

_'Well someones gotta go in, I don't see anyone else volunteering do you?' I said and with that I started to break away from everyone, in search of the one thing that was puncturing a hole in my chest everytime I looked at his face. _

_I wondered around the area for a while, checking my step carefully for any mine's that could blow me to smitherenes. When I finally came across Harry, the enemy surrounding him, guns pointed towards every part of him. If I fired my gun now, I wouldn't be able to take them all at once and could risk them killing Harry as soon as I fired, the only thing I could do was try and fit my suppresser onto my AK47, running another rist of it not working at all and backfiring at me, killing me. As I fitted it silently a few of them walked away, only leaving two of them to guard Harry's almost lifeless body on the floor. I discarded the suppresser onto the floor and shuffled in my spot, my finger resting over the trigger. Springing from my crouching possition I held it down letting the bullets spew from the barrell, the two men fell to the floor in a heap. I rushed to Harry's side whose face lit up when he saw me, but then dimmed when he realised who it was. _

_'Why did you come back for me Zayn?' He chocked out, a trickle of blood leaving the corner. _

_'You may be an arsehole who slept with my girlfriend but you're not going to die on me' I said, lifting him over my shoulders so his body was around my neck. The next thing I had to do was get the both of us out of enemy territory. Fast. I started to run, well as quick as I could with a full grown man on my back. I had almost made it back, the rest of the group were back in conflict, I could just about make them all out. _

_Then something, or things, penetrated into my back, I felt them shatter bones and pierce muscles, veins, arteries as they burned around my back. I fell to the ground, the pain engulfing every part of my body, my breath catching itself in my throat. _

_I was told that when your on deaths door, your life flashes in front of your eyes. But it doesn't, well it wasn't what I was experiancing. I could see people around me, but they were all blury, the sounds muffled and drowned out like I was underwater. And my brain started to think. _

_**They say that the average person has ten moment's of impact in their lifetimes. I, myself had already had five. My first, was meeting Holly. My second, was kissing her in Blackpool, the third, was when she told me she loved me, then the fourth was getting the box of things and the letter, and the fifth was the day I went back, out in the garden in the rain. A moment of impact is something that everyone experiances, yet only some people realise it and take note, only some choose to acknowledge it. But it happens to everyone. When a moment of impact decides to happen, your whole body tingles, your heart races and your brain shuts down for a meer second, but when it doesn't re-open, you feel like its your very last, final moment of impact. **_

_Chapter Thirteen:- No Distance Left To Run._

_No P.O.V _

_The room was filled with silent fear, the machines beeping, buzzing, and whirring. Zayn's limp, lifeless body was hooked up to these machines, they were the only things keeping him alive. The bullets that had been fired had not only inserted into his back, but also punctured his livers and kidney's. After being awake for a short time, Zayn had quickly gone into cardiac arrest. The moment Holly heard about Zayn's injuries she rushed to the hospital, despite the guilt that was built up inside her like a penthouse hotel. She hated herself for what she'd done, what she and Harry had done. And then when she got to the hospital, she had found a blonde haired guy sitting next to Zayn, his face pale and scared, his hair sticking in every direction. He was the guy who told her why Zayn was in the hospital, because he had saved Harry's life, he'd saved the life of the man Holly had cheated on him with.  
Holly was now sat beside Zayn, her hand laced through his. His chest rose up and down slowly. Niall sat opposite her, after Zayn had been admitted to hospital, Niall had pulled out of the army, staying true to his pact, 'wherever you go, I go' Neither Holly nor Niall had left Zayn's bedside, in fear of leaving and him slipping away without them being there. _

_Holly's P.O.V _

_I looked at his beautiful face, his perfect, scared face. How could I have done such a thing to him? When all he did was love me unconditionally, I'd betrayed him and that was going to stay with me for the rest of my life. _

'_He loves you more than anything, you know?' Niall suddenly said to me, I turned to look at him, his sympathetic smile edged on his lips. _

'_I love him more than anything too, I just wish I hadn't done what I did' I said, the tears forming at my eyes again. Niall got up from his seat and came over to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. _

'_You know, the day he found out, he did something so stupid…' He started, his head dropping to the floor. _

'_What did he do?' I asked worriedly. Niall looked back up at me, the sadness filled his eyes again, he took my hand, pulling me from my chair to the chair he was just sat in. He sat me down then stood in front of me, before getting his knees and resting his hands on mine. _

'_He probably wouldn't want you to know this…' He trailed off, turning around and taking Zayn's arm lightly. I got up to look at what he was showing me. I stared in horror at the scars raised on his wrist, the pain still evident. _

'_If I hadn't have stopped him, he wouldn't have stopped' Niall said softly. I gave him a sad smile. My one mistake had caused the one person I truly loved to lacerate his own skin. I pulled my chair closer to the bed, taking his hand in mine once again, tracing the lines of his scars softly. A few seconds past and I heard someone take a deep breath. _

'_He knows you're here' I heard Niall say. I turned to look at Niall and he nodded his head towards Zayn, and that's when I saw it. He was smiling. I let my fingers trail some more, his hand started to move. He was waking up. _

'_Niall go get a doctor, I think he's coming round!' I said excitedly, Niall rushed from the room, his shoes making noises as he left. _

_Zayn's P.O.V _

_My eyes fluttered open, a bright light blinding me, causing my head o hurt. _

'_Zayn, baby can you hear me? Her voice was like aspirin to my head, I forced open my closed eyes, looking at her beautiful face for the first time in three years. I nodded slowly, smiling as the doctor came into the room, a big smile on his face_

'_Right then Mr. Malik, let's check you over' He checked every wire that I was hooked up to and all the machines and changed the dressing on my back. _

'_It seems you're not out of danger quite yet sir, but we can work on getting you fixed' He smiled once more and then left the room. _

'_It's so good to see you awake man' the Irish accent invaded my ears, making me smile like crazy. I turned my head to see Niall, his smile tugging at his lips. _

'_Niall, it's good to see you too' I croaked, I'd lost my voice from not speaking for so long. I turned my head to Holly. _

'_Hey beautiful' I said, running my one hand through her hair. She smiled back up at me. I motioned my head for her to come and lie next to me, so she crawled up onto the bed and nestled in between my side, her head resting on my chest as I played with her hair. _

'_I'm so sorry Zayn' she whispered, I felt a tear drop from her eye onto my chest. _

'_Hey, hey baby, no need to cry. That's all in the past' I said, trying to hold her even closer. _

'_**Been up all night  
Staring at you  
Wondering what's on your mind  
I've been this way with so many before  
But this feels like the first time  
You want the sunrise  
To go back to bed  
I want to make you laugh  
Mess up my bed, with me  
Kick off the covers  
I'm waiting  
Every word you say I think I should write down  
I don't want to forget come daylight  
Happy to lay here  
Just happy to be here  
I'm happy to know you  
Play me a song  
Your newest one  
Please leave your taste on my tongue  
Paperweight on my back  
Cover me like a blanket  
Mess up my bed, with me  
I'm waiting  
Every word you say I think I should write down  
Don't want to forget come daylight  
And no need to worry  
That's wasting time  
And no need to wonder  
What's been on my mind  
It's you  
It's you  
Every word you say I think I should write down  
Don't want to forget  
Come daylight  
And I give up  
I let you win  
You win 'cause I'm not counting  
You made it back  
To sleep again  
Wonder what you're dreaming…' **_

_**3 Days Later. **_

_Over the days, the doctor had kept checking me over, but saying nothing about progress. And I knew why. I could feel myself becoming weaker and weaker every day. And the pain I was in was indescribable. _

'_Baby…' I whispered, making Holly turn her head to me. _

'_Yeah' She smiled, I took in a deep breath, knowing that wherever I was going now wouldn't allow me to see that smile for a while. _

'_I think it's time I said goodbye…' I said softly, stroking her velvet hair. Her eyes flashed with fear and desperation as the words left my lips. _

'_What do you mean say goodbye?' She said, gripping onto my hand. _

'_I can't hold on any longer baby, I need to let go' _

'_No Zayn please, stay with me, I can't live without you' she whimpered, the tears starting to stream down her face. _

'_You'll be just fine baby. Just remember how much I love you, ok? And that someday we'll be together, in heaven or hell wherever I may go. Hey don't cry, I know it's hard but you have to try to hold it together and accept that I have lived my life and now I'm gonna die. It's just the way things turned out, if I could take back time, and forget going into the army and doing a normal job, so I could look after you properly, be there for you all the time. But I wasn't and that's something I have to accept' I struggled to find my words. Niall came in through the door, after no doubted been to the canteen. He took one look at our tears and sat down beside me, resting his hand on mine. _

'_It's time I went man' I said softly, bringing my hand up to his blonde locks and ruffling them slightly. His eyes brimmed with tears, but he nodded. _

'_Thanks for everything you did for me, couldn't of gotten through anything if it wasn't for you, I love you man' By now the tears were streaking all of our faces. _

'_I love you too man' He said, gripping onto my hand. I reached into my pocket of my joggers and pulled out a small box. _

'_Ni' do me a favor, look after Holly, do everything you can to keep her safe' I passed him the box, as soon as he saw it his eyes widened. I just nodded at him, making sure he knew my intentions. _

'_Can you get the doctor?' I asked, ready to ask him to turn my life support machine off. Niall clamped his eyes shut and he gave me a nod, leaving to go into the corridor. _

'_Zayn why do you have to leave? You could just stay with me, hold on; we can help you through the pain, just hold on, please?' _

'_I'm sorry baby, I really can't hold on, as much as I want to, the pain is too much for me' She let out a painful sob at my words, and then the doctor entered. _

'_What is it I can do for you Mr. Malik?' He asked. I took a long breath, making sure this was exactly what I wanted. _

'_I want you to turn my life support machine off; I'm ready to go…' I said slowly. He looked at me, then Holly and Niall. _

'_Are you sure it's what you want sir?' He asked, sidling over to the machines. _

'_Yes' I answered simply. _

'_Ok well, once they're off, they're off, they cannot be turned back on. And after they're off, you have about half an hour' he said quietly, almost scared of his own voice. _

_I nodded. Watching his hand graze over the switch and then all the buzzing and beeping stopped. The machines cut out, and I had thirty minutes left to live. _

'_It was nice knowing you Private Malik' he smiled and then left the room, telling Holly and Niall to call him when I passed. _

'_Ni' pass me my bag will you?' Niall got up and handed me the pack, I rummaged through, finding two enclosed letters. Death letters. One was too Holly, the other for Niall. _

_I passed it to them. 'Don't read it until I'm gone, I just want to say that I love you guys, more than anything in the world. And Holly, please don't hold back when I'm gone, go out, and live your life. Do whatever you want. Remember what I always say, to understand today, you have to search yesterday. Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today. I love you so much baby girl, my heart beats entirely for you. Be happy, for me. Because I love you with every inch of this body that my soul is trapped in. But remember me, don't forget the memories we shared, the laughter, the tears, every single kiss, every single touch, everything. I want to be like that guy we saw on the T.V, I still want to be your hero Holly' my breath started to falter, becoming heavier and heavier and harder and harder. _

'_I'll never forget you Zayn, you are my hero, you always have been and always will be, I love Zayn Malik forever and always, you'll stay in my heart forever and always' I bit my lip, preventing the tears from falling even more. _

'_Niall man, look after my baby please? Don't let anyone hurt her, take it upon yourself to take my place, I know I asked you to be the best man, but please, just be the groom' Niall blinked away his tears as he gripped on my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips and giving them a gentle kiss. _

'_I'll do whatever you want mate, I promise' _

_I felt myself drawing to my last breaths, so I found the strength inside me, to say: _

'_**Guys I love you, going to heaven don't mean I'll die, I'm gonna live forever down deep inside your hearts, and when they send you up here, but until that time you're gonna be fine I'll watch over you from here' **_

_**I watched the lights in my eyes fade, the screaming entered my ears but quickly faded, I could no longer feel the touches on my skin, it was time for my final, moment of impact. **_

'_**Don't you know that, I'll be around to guide you, through your weakest moments, to leave them behind you? Returning, nightmares only shadows, we'll cast some light and you'**_

_Chapter Fourteen:- Stay With Me._

_Holly's P.O.V_

_I screamed, feeling my heart being torn out of my chest and follow him all the way to heaven. I couldn't even hear my own screaming, the violent noises in my head were too much for my ears to take. __Niall had his secure frame wrapped around my shaking one. I was on the floor, screaming as the doctor wheeled Zayn's hospital bed away from the room. I cradled myself into Niall, feeling a sense of warmth coming from his body.  
'Sh Holly, everything will be ok, I promise' he said stroking my hair. I stopped shaking and sunk down into Niall's chest.  
_

_Niall's P.O.V  
_

_My best friend was gone, leaving me with a broken heart and his broken angel. I tried to calm her down, but nothing was working, she just continued to cry into my chest. _

'_Come on, let's get you home, it's been a long day' I said. I picked up the letters from the side and I felt a large bump inside of my envelope, on the back, scrawled in Zayn's handwriting was 'You'll need the contents to get home' Holly got up and excused herself to the hospital restrooms and I proceeded to open my letter, inside I found two sets of keys both labeled, one set 'car' the other 'house'. The keys were alongside a set of directions to his and Holly's house. He had fully prepared me to take Holly home, he had been clearly aware of the state Holly would have been in afterwards and didn't want her driving. A small tear escaped my eye, he had wanted to let go, and that's what hurt the most. I pushed the letter back into the envelope to read later and shoved the keys into my pocket before going in search of Holly. Who I found in the car park, standing by her car. _

'_Was Zayn always this organized?' I asked, laughing slightly. She let out a small smile as I held up the set of directions. _

'_Yeah he was' she breathed, her voice cracked under the pressure of her crying. Breaking her fragile voice. She got into the passenger seat and I slid into the drivers' seat. I read the back of the label on the keys 'Be careful with her, she's fragile, but a trooper' I smiled, god I loved Zayn. Holly took a look at the label, fresh tears glistening over her eyes, but she was smiling. She reached into the glove box and pulled out some sheets of paper, which happened to be M.O.T papers. It took me a second to realize her motives, but then remembered in the first letter Zayn wrote to Holly he reminded her of the M.O.T at the end of the month. Holly put the label amongst the papers and then slid them delicately back into the glove box, flashing me a weak smile.  
_

_I turned the key in the ignition and trundled out of the car park. I became accustomed to the drive of the Mini quite quickly, and we were soon speeding down the lanes towards Holly's house. When we arrived I fished the other set of keys from my pocket and unlocked the door, stepping inside behind Holly. I looked around, seeing all the photo's of Holly and Zayn lining the walls, it was beautiful. _

'_I think you should get some rest for now Holl, sleep until you feel better' I said softly, brushing a lose piece of hair from her face and behind her ear. She nodded slowly, giving me a small smile, it wasn't hard to tell how Zayn had fallen in love with her, her presence was like the smell of a thousand roses. It reminded me of back home in Ireland, my grandma used to have this garden, full of roses, there scent so strong it was said that anyone who came within a meter of them would fall in love. Holly went into the living room and lay down, I instinctively made her a cup of tea, something I always did when someone was sad or upset. I took it into her, setting it down on the coffee table before her. _

'_You will be amazed at how good I am at making tea' I winked; she let out a small giggle, something Zayn talked so highly about. I leant down and planted a small kiss on her forehead. _

'_You get some rest now, you hear? And if you need anything, my numbers are on the side, so I'm just a call away, remember' I got up to leave, but was stopped by a hand grabbing hold of my shirt. _

'_Niall?' Holly said softly as I turned to her. _

'_Yes Holl' _

'_Stay with me?' I pursed my lips into a straight smile as she pulled me down beside her, wrapping her arms around me. At first I didn't know how to respond, to me, she was still Zayn's girl, but then I remembered what Zayn told me, 'Do anything you can to keep her safe' and this was keeping her safe. _

_**The Funeral**_

_No P.O.V _

_Zayn's friends, family and soldiers in his platoon were all gathered to witness the burial of his body, the Army had arranged everything, seeing as Holly was in no fit state to take care of anything. The burial was taking place in a war memorial, a place where many of the soldiers killed in action were buried. The Department of Defense provided and honor guard, which consisted of Liam and Louis, because they were members of the armed forces. Niall would have been legible if only he hadn't have dropped out when Zayn fell on the battlefield. _

_During the ceremony Liam and Louis presented Holly with the Union flag, which she had to drape over Zayn's coffin. A shooting party was arranged, as well as a fly over by the RAF to show their commiseration. _

_Holly hadn't stopped crying the whole way through and neither had Niall let go of her hand. Giving it a gentle squeeze every now and again to show her that he was proud of her being so brave. Holly had been told she could say a few words as Zayn's coffin was being lowered into the ground, and the words she chose were. _

'_**He promised me he would come home, I just didn't think it would be this way. He used to say to me, 'the more things change, the more they stay the same' which is true, because, even though things have changed, and Zayn isn't here anymore, I won't love him any less. Absence, makes the heart grow fonder' **_

_The tears rolled from her eyes and onto the ground as she took a step backwards, right into the arms of an awaiting Niall… _

_Final Chapter-Till Death Do Us Part. _

_Niall took a deep breath, looking up to the sky, asking Zayn for permission to read out the speech he had written, he finally wanted to say the words he had locked inside his heart, let them be heard. It was time. He rose from his seat, clenching his sweaty palms together before kissing Holly on the cheek lightly and walking towards the stage. He took hold of the microphone, he thought of Zayn, and how much this was going to mean to both himself and his best friend. _

'_**So, I guess it's time for me to give you all my speech. I can't stress to you all how long this took me to write, yet I look at this piece of paper and think, why should I use it? The words that I really want to say cannot be written on paper and rehearsed, they just simply have to come straight from the heart, otherwise they cannot be completely true.  
To me, standing up here and talking to you guys is the hardest thing I've had to do for a while. I knew, either way, one day I was going to be standing up here, making a speech in front of you. But I didn't know that it was going to be my wedding.**__' Niall closed his eyes shut and took another deep breath. He didn't want to say the things he needed to say, he didn't want to remind everyone, but these things were locked up in his heart and he needed to set them free. '__**And I know that Zayn's going to be looking down on me, on all of us, and he'll be smiling. The last words he said to me were 'Look after her, do anything you can to keep her safe' and he gave me the ring. The words had broken me, but stunned me at the same time. He was leaving this world, leaving the people he loved, yet he still put them before himself. He didn't think about what he wanted, he thought about the future for everyone he loved. And to me, that was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done or said. When he first said that to me, I knew I had to stay close to Holly, look after her and protect her in whatever way I could. But I knew Zayn's intentions were for me to fall in love with her and marry her, because he didn't want anyone else to be able to hold her and tell her just how beautiful she really is. I couldn't do it, I didn't want to take her away from him, or replace him. But being with her, sharing the same pain, it brought us closer together, for me and Holly, each other was the closest thing to Zayn we could get. And that's how we fell in love. I had no idea it was going to happen, I love Holly with all of my heart, and nothing would make me leave her, nothing would make me regret marrying the beautiful angel I call my wife, but sometimes, I think about how things would have been if I was standing here, still making a speech, but as the best man? Because that was originally the plan.  
Seven years ago, when it was Zayn's first year in the army, he waited an awful long time for a reply to a letter he sent to Holly, he'd watch all the other lads open their letters with tears in his eyes, just hoping that she was thinking about him. And then one day, when he had given up all hope, a box came. Full of treats for everyone, chocolate, sweets, beer. Heck even a little toy for me. He had the biggest smile on his face ever, and that's when he told me. He said 'Niall? Will you be my best man?' It was simple, no beating around the bush just straight to the point. And I agreed, neither us knowing that I wouldn't be the best man, but in fact I'd be the groom.  
I remember thinking, the day he left us, how am I going to survive without my best friend? And how am I going to look after the broken angel that's currently crying into me? I had no idea what I was going to do. But as he lay there, motionless, something in my mind said 'simply love and cherish what has been and what will be' and that's how it began. And that is why I am standing here today, with the most beautiful girl sitting not far from me, with a smile that could do more damage than a two ton truck.'**__ Niall looked towards Holly, who had tears streaking down her face, yet she was still smiling. She was so proud of Niall for getting up there and saying everything he'd been wanting too for so long.  
__**'Zayn was one of the kindest people I knew, the reason he is no longer with us is because he couldn't sit on the sidelines and watch someone die. He brought it upon himself to go out into the firing line and save a soldier who could have easily died. But the pain is much greater felt, as the soldier Zayn died saving, was one that caused so much pain to him. I saw Zayn suffer, and I saw Holly suffer too. Zayn saved someone who he once trusted. But that person abused his trust, breaking his heart into so many pieces it could never be put back together. Yet when he was in the hospital, clutching onto Holly for what would be his final moments, there was nothing but love on his face and in his eyes. That shows someone who has the biggest heart I have ever experience.  
Zayn was my best friend. And I hope today I can look upon Holly with as much love as he did. I know that today, Holly and I vowed to love each other with every inch of our hearts, but I know that Holly will never love someone as much as she loved Zayn, and still loves Zayn. No one will ever be as special to her as her hero was. The one who did everything he could to make her proud. And that does not faze me in the slightest, as no one will ever replace my best friend. But as I stand before you all today, I pray to God that the love I give to Holly will be good enough to not only slowly start piecing back together her heart, but mine also.' **__Niall brushed away the tears from his cheeks. Everyone looked on, there was not a dry eye in the house as Niall poured the words from his mouth like water into a cup. __**'And I hereby promise to Holly that I will be here for you, until the end of the world, cruel fate brought us together but nothing will tear us apart. Till' death do us part' **__Niall raised his glass in the air, signaling the end to his speech. Everyone in the roomed stood up to applaud Niall, their faces wet with tears and their hearts aching as Niall made his way off the stage and back to his table. Holly jumped from her seat to wrap her arms around her husband, the only other guy in the world she trusted as much as she trusted Zayn. The only other person she could and would ever love.  
_

'_I love you so much Niall Horan' _

'_I love you too Holly-Malik Horan'_

_Niall and Holly got up together, hand in hand and made their way to the dance floor, ready for their first dance. Everybody watched as Holly's dress floated around her, Niall's tux fitting perfectly around his body. It had taken both Niall and Holly a considerable amount of time to pick a song, because nothing felt quite right, until they stumbled upon a song Zayn had on his iPod, under the playlist 'Holly'. Niall placed his hands around Holly's lace covered waist as she threaded hers around his neck, letting the music kick in. _

_**If I don't say this now I will surely break**__**  
**__**As I'm leaving the one I want to take**__**  
**__**Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait**__**  
**__**My heart has started to separate**__****_

_**Oh, oh,**__**  
**__**Be my baby**__**  
**__**Ohhhhh**__**  
**__**Oh, oh**__**  
**__**Be my baby**__**  
**__**I'll look after you**__****_

_**There now, steady love, so few come and don't go**__**  
**__**Will you won't you, be the one I'll always know**__**  
**__**When I'm losing my control, the city spins around**__**  
**__**You're the only one who knows, you slow it down**__****_

_**Oh, oh**____**  
**__**Be my baby**__**  
**__**Ohhhhhh**__**  
**__**Oh, oh**__**  
**__**Be my Baby**__**  
**__**I'll look after you**__**  
**__**And I'll look after you**__****_

_**If ever there was a doubt**__**  
**__**My love she leans into me**__**  
**__**This most assuredly counts**__**  
**__**She says most assuredly**__****_

_**Oh, oh**____**  
**__**Be my baby**__**  
**__**I'll look after you**__**  
**__**After You**__**  
**__**Oh, oh**__**  
**__**Be my baby**__**  
**__**Ohhhhh**__****_

_**It's always have and never hold**__**  
**__**You've begun to feel like home**__**  
**__**What's mine is yours to leave or take**__**  
**__**What's mine is yours to make your own**__****_

_**Oh, oh**__**  
**__**Be my baby**__**  
**__**Ohhhhh**__**  
**__**Oh, oh**____**  
**__**Be my baby**__**  
**__**I'll look after you**__****_

_**You are so beautiful to me**__****_

_The whole room was awash with tears, including Niall and Holly, who looked towards the ceiling, whispering 'We love you so much Zayn, you're forever on our minds…' _

_Epilogue:- Just Another War Story _

_Holly and Niall stayed true to their vows, 'Till death do us part' Shortly after the wedding Holly fell pregnant with her first child, which was a boy, and there was no doubt in their minds of what they would call him. About three years after, Holly fell pregnant again. This time with twin girls whom which they named after Zayn's sisters.  
Zayn-Malik Horan, Waliyha-Malik Horan and Doniya-Malik Horan__. _

_Holly and Niall wanted Zayn to be as big as part of their children's life as they were, so Zayn became they're godfather. As the children got older they asked why they're godfather wasn't here, and why pictures of Holly and Zayn were still around the house. One day Niall sat them all down, with chocolate and sweets, along with the small stuffed leprechaun that still lived on and told them the story of how Holly had fallen in love with a brave and courageous person who gave his life in order to save someone else's, and how Niall was looking after the angel for Zayn, because he loved Zayn like a brother.__  
The children had sat wide eyed upon the ends of their beds, listening intensely to their father tell the story.__  
'So daddy Zayn was a hero?' Waliyha had asked. At which point Holly came in, with the medal Zayn had been awarded prior to his actions in her hands.__  
'He was our hero' she said proudly, kissing them all on the forehead before tucking them into bed.__  
'He is our hero Holly' Niall repeated, but changed the one word so the tense changed. Holly smiled and flicked the switch in the children's bedroom.__  
Holly and Niall were married sixty years, from getting married when they were thirty to dying when they were ninety years old.__  
Some say this is just another war story, but to Holly and Niall, this was their war story._


End file.
